I really enjoy Jenny Proctor’s books and this was no exception, I read it in a single day! Romancing the Grump brings us Summer, a sunshine lawyer and Nathan, a grumpy hockey player, who start fake dating when social media causes chaos for the MMC.
The sass from Summer is brilliant and her needling of Nathan is highly entertaining. Nathan has some baggage and his mindset shows just how embedded it is. Summer brings out the best in Nathan but at what cost to her own heart?

“You stole my parking space.”

“Sorry, I don’t speak grunt. Try again?”

“Give me a percentage.”

“Summer. Let me see my name.”

This was so good- it reminds me of the new age Hulu romance movies - a cut above the hallmark ones LOL! Who doesn’t love a grump - and this has all my fav tropes. ONE BED, fake dating and he falls hard. It didn’t have spice (i do like a side of spice with my romances) but it was still a solid read!
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m an Appies fan for life!
This is my second book to read in the series and I’m in love.

She just got hired as a lawyer for the team and he has been designated as the team grump.

Social media is blowing up in not a good way and he needs a girlfriend to help calm the storm. The only problem is he doesn’t date. She volunteers to be the fake girlfriend and you can guess what happens next!

Fake dating and hockey…that’s all you need to know! And it’s a clean romance with only kissing. Good times!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I totally recommend!

Jenny Proctor’s books are perfection for me - wholesome, funny, swoon-worthy, endearing, and completely unputdownable! In Romancing the Grump, Summer and Nathan make such a sweet pair. He’s the Appies’ star left defender, and she’s the hockey team’s new lawyer. The attraction is immediate but then circumstances lead them to a fake dating situation with very real feelings. I loved the way they challenged and supported each other and how each of them worked through past wounds before fully committing to each other. This is closed-door romance done right and a must-read!!

Thank you to the author for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own. I absolutely loved it!!

I devoured this book. Jenny Proctor is becoming an essential author for me. Her writing convincingly demonstrates that a novel can exude allure without explicit scenes. Neither resembling a bland Hallmark movie nor indulging in gratuitous content, Jenny Proctor appears to have achieved the perfect equilibrium. The chemistry between Summer and Nathan is palpable, immediate, and impossible to overlook. However, the book also delivers humor, intelligence, and gripping storytelling. I harbor more affection for the Appies portrayed in the story than any actual sports team. Although Felix remains my ultimate favorite Appie, Nathan has certainly secured a close second place. This outstanding romantic comedy kept me grinning foolishly throughout. Another commendable aspect of both this book and the series is the emphasis on relationships with friends and family, which are as vital as the central romance. While it can be enjoyed independently, delving into the other books in the Appies series and the How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother series enhances the experience. Set in the cozy confines of Western North Carolina, this book offers a comforting read. It's worth picking up, particularly if you're craving the following tropes: Grumpy/Sunshine, Hockey Romance, Fake Dating, or Only One Bed scenarios. Reading a Jenny Proctor book feels akin to spending time with a cherished friend, and Romancing the Grump only solidifies this sentiment.

5⭐️
Thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me an arc of this book!

From the beginning, I kinda knew I’d like it because I enjoy hockey romance. But it ended up being much more than that. I loved Summer and Nathan as individuals, as well as their growth together. It was funny, sweet, and I loved all the hockey in it of course. I also loved that this was closed-door because most hockey romances aren’t, and it made it much more enjoyable to me knowing the most they’d do is make out. All in all, I loved this! I’d absolutely recommend it and I can’t wait to read more of this series in the future :)

Romancing the Grump is the second book in the Appies series, which is a spinoff of the Sweater Weather series. While I loved and would recommend all of those previous books, this could definitely be enjoyed as a standalone as well. Fans of those and other Jenny Proctor books will definitely appreciate seeing some familiar characters though!

I am 100% in love with this book!

The only thing I love more than a good grump is a hockey romance... then when you throw in fake dating and a good 'she takes care of him' moment, it's truly just the perfect combination to have me falling! The chemistry between Nathan and Summer is perfectly done. Jenny Proctor certainly DOES get the kisses right--- the perfect amount of sizzle to have you melting, while still keeping that door firmly closed and I absolutely love it! It was balanced perfect with those laugh out loud moments, and I enjoyed it all. These two were the sweetest and I couldn't get enough of them.

Romancing the Grump is a closed-door romance with chemistry-filled kisses, but nothing beyond that. There is some minor language throughout the story.

**I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Such a fun return to the appies universe!! Some feelings at first sight, a little bit coworkers to fake dating to real feelings. Summer and Nathan's story was a cute quick read, the best friend group, and a number of both silly and intentional (meltworthy🥰🫠🥰) moments. I only read a couple of the sweater weather books and I really want to go back and read the rest!! I also can't wait to see the rest of the appies get their happily ever afters!



Thank you Netgalley and JPC Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Ugh I love these books so much! Seriously I want to be a member of the Appies franchise. Grumpy x sunshine, fake dating, forced proximity, she takes care of him when he’s sick, closed door romance, HEA….literally how could you not love this book!

I love a good fake-dating romance, and I love the Appies, so chances were good that I would love this book, and Jenny Proctor did not disappoint! Nathan is the best kind of marshmallow-y grump, and I love how strong of a heroine Summer is. Their relationship feels very equal, but she in particular had to be the strong one for him in ways that were nice to see. Definitely recommend this book if you’re a fan of fun hockey romances.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jenny Proctor for proving this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an absolutely adorable feel good read. I adored Nathan Sanders - we love a misunderstood man of minimal words. We all deserve a happy ending.

This book was such a cute read. For a grump, Nathan was soft in a good way, in ways that mattered. I loved that he was soft with his loved ones but especially with Summer. The little gestures they did for each other had me swooning throughout the book.

Romancing the Grump is a fake dating romance book. They fake dated basically throughout the whole book. They both felt something the moment they laid eyes on each other but you wouldn’t have known with the grump of this book. Nathan was… hesitant a good chunk of the book and I felt like his reason was realistic and real and it’s something I personally would have struggled with too. But I loved seeing their story unfold and watch them fall for each other more and more.

This book was very PG, no smut going on which was perfectly okay with me because I loved the book as is.

Thank you Netgalley, JPC Publishing, and Jenny Proctor for providing me with this ARC for my honest review.

I loved this. It was all the good parts of a hockey romance without the tropes I hate (like playboy asshole pro athletes). The motivations behind each character were well thought out and built up through the story and I loved the whole concept of the team and their popularity (I was quite disappointed to find out that the first book in the series is only on amazon). I liked how some of the tropes were a little subverted, like he's grumpy without being an actual horrible person, and she's sunny without being portrayed as an idiot. I particularly liked was that the fake dating trope was subverted a little by Summer's emotional awareness. Honestly the only thing I didn't like that much was I felt the way Nathan ultimately resolved his feelings about his dad and relationships felt a bit unnecessary, but that didn't ruin the book or anything.

I have loved being in the Appie world since Just Don't Fall and these books just keep getting better and better! Nathan and Summer had the sweetest relationship and I was rooting for them since the beginning. Nathan is such a grump to everyone but Summer and even though he doesnt feel like he is good enough, he is so wrong. This man was the absolute sweetest and does the sweetest things for her. I love how the whole team is so close and how they were rooting for them to admit their feelings throughout the whole book! The ending was so sweet and i just loved this whole book

One of my favorites. I have read most in this series but this one is one of my favorites. Nathan and Summer were great and I loved that it was from both POV's. I loved both characters. Even when Nathan was labeled as grumpy. But deep down he truly had a heart of gold. He just guarded it more since he never wanted to become his dad. Summer is bubbly and says it like it is, which I love. You can sense these two have a connection from the start. But then they have to enter a "fake dating" thing and things heat up from there. Summer has a way of making Nathan change from the grumpy guy to a big teddy bear. You can tell throughout the whole story, Summer and Nathan have each others back. This is a great read about romance and hockey!

I really loved this book. Nathan’s aversion to being in a relationship, the back story behind it. The sunshine x grump trope is always one of my favorite, especially when the grump only smiles because of the love interest 🫠

Thank you NetGalley, JPC editing and Jenny Proctor for the ARC

I love a hockey romance and this sweet ones does not disappoint. I usually read more heat, but this cute story was worth the change.

Romancing the grump is a closed door, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating hockey romance with heart and humour, sizzle but no spice.

I loved this book. Summer is a strong, intelligent FMC who isn’t afraid to fight for what she wants. Nathan is a perfect grumpy sunshine MMC with a past threatening to haunt his future.

Watching their relationship play out in dual POV is perfect, and I found myself willing both of the characters to just tell one another their true feelings.

This book had me laughing throughout, and I loved how fun it was to read. It’s refreshing for a book to have such chemistry and be steamy to read without the smut, which for me is an indicator of a brilliant author.

I binged this book in one sitting and would not hesitate to recommend to other readers. Jenny Proctor has fast become an author I will auto read!

Thank you JPC Publishing and Jenny Proctor for the ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this book! So glad I got to ARC read it because I’m now obsessed with the Appies!

One thing about me is that I will read ANYTHING if it has the fake dating trope, but throw in the fact it’s a HOCKEY romance AND grumpyXsunshine?!?! Magical combination!

I loved the brotherhood between the players, the tension between Summer and Nathan and the family connections.

Read Time ⏱️ 4 hours

******

“I don't deserve you. But I'll spend every day trying to live like I do."

“Am I a strong, independent woman? Absolutely.
Does it feel amazing to know this man has made an effort to protect me? To demand better behavior from his teammate? Hell, yes.”

I devoured this. Jenny Proctor is becoming a must read author for me. Her writing absolutely supports the fact that a book can be sexy without sex. Neither bland Hallmark movie, nor smut for the sake of smut, Jenny Proctor seems to have found the perfect balance. Summer and Nathan’s chemistry is intense, immediate, and impossible to ignore. But this book is also funny, smart, and hard to put down. I absolutely love the Appies more than any real sports team in existence. And while I don’t think anyone will ever top Felix as my favorite Appie, Nathan is now coming in at a close second. Excellent romcom that left me with a giddy goofy grin the entire time I was reading it. Another great aspect of both this book and this series is that the relationships with friends and family are just as important as the romance at the center of the story. Can be read as a standalone, but definitely richer for having read the other Appies books and the How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother series, all set in a cozy, comfortable corner of Western North Carolina. Definitely give it a read, but especially if you’re in the mood for the following tropes:

Grumpy/Sunshine
Hockey Romance
Fake Dating
Only One Bed

Reading a Jenny Proctor book is like spending the day with a great friend. Romancing the Grump absolutely continues this trend.